How much do you sparkies make an hour???

Because whatever it is, it needs to be doubled. Don't really want to know lol but after 8 hours in the attic I can only imagine what you feel like when you go home.

My a$$ is sore, I can't feel my fingers and don't even ask me about my
back .

We spent the day ripping out about 500 feet of cable and intercom wire, god knows how many useless phone lines and got rid of 6 junction boxes. We had junction boxes looped to junction boxes going nowhere and we are only through about a 1/3rd of the house siigh. It's real easy to spot when something was done by a professional and when something was done later lol......like the light switch boxes disguised as junction boxes in the ceiling. No cover and no wire nuts and no tape even.

My only real question is what to do with all the left over wire and cable? Its in great condition just not needed anymore. Does anyone know of where I can donate this stuff or do we need to just toss it?

How much do you sparkies make an hour???

Tell me about it k_buz. It took 2 hours to pull the last set of outlets for our Kitchen today, while the wife sat and watched football. I should of accidentally tripped the breaker for our UVerse RG. I didn't make enough in the Navy as a Sparkie, and don't as a homeowner doing it myself.

How much do you sparkies make an hour???

If you ask the customer, we're always overpaid. They see the easy part - 5 minutes to find a simple problem and correct it. $90 and they think it's highway robbery. No thought for travel cost (gas and van), insurance, bookkeeping, accounting, licenses, taxes, training, continuing education, etc.

That's not to mention - ladders, lifts, bucket trucks, heat (attics), insulation (fiberglass, asbestos, rockwool), cold, rain, wind, rats, bats, spiders, snakes, shocks, burns, cuts, bruises, punctures. Oh, and the worst of all - SOME customers. These are all part of the life of the working electrician. I can't believe we haven't made "Dirty Jobs" yet. We don't get paid enough.

How much do you sparkies make an hour???

Day two comes to a close and even more appreciation for you all.

Got all the boxes and plugs changed in 3 rooms so moving along at a good clip. No shennanigans today so things went a little quicker. Everything checked out afterwards, thank god for those idiot proof testers lol.

Thanks for the ideas on the wire, will check out the habitat restore and if they don't want the stuff then we may just take it down to salvage. Hoping someone can get use out of it.

How much do you sparkies make an hour???

I use sections of Romex to help keep my 100' and 150 foot extension cords from unrolling, and use a length of #12 to wrap around 25' & my drop light cord to help secure them for storage. Another good use for lengths of wire, is to secure bumpers, fence panels, etc..

When it gets to where the lengths are not any good, or in the case of when I pulled all of the old BX or old 2 wire Romex, I just tossed into the recycling bin.

How much do you sparkies make an hour???

I have scratches all over my hands from digging into walls yesterday pulling Romex, when I finished my Kitchen outlets up for our ongoing remodel. I am glad that I have small enough hands to get into single gang cutouts, but with having GypRock in my place, I always pay for it for a couple of days later, until the scratches heal.

How much do you sparkies make an hour???

They are worth it, assuming qualified electrician.
They have the toys and know how to use them.
Simple story, I said would fix a non working doorbell for a client last Saturday ... simple job, look at the lighted switch on the front porch and was melted ... you need a new switch!

I bring one with me and install it and still does not work.
I look at the chimes, oh crap, is melted inside ... that thingy jobby on a spring should move freely and rock the ding donger ..... it is frozen.
Back to lowes for a new chime.
Still does not work.

At this point I call the electrician that installed the system in the new addition, on a Saturday afternoon .... I have him on speed dial

Only thing we could figure out over the phone was the transformer went bad and was sending wrong voltage and fried everything. He told me where the transformer was since he installed it.
3rd trip to lowes and replaced the transformer and all worked fine.

Point is, he charges $100 per hour, I assure you he would not have made 3 trips to the hardware store to fix it... with his knowledge and tools, he would have used his voltage tester and found issue in 15 min. 1 trip to the store and 1/2 hour later would have been fixed. Good chance he would have all parts needed on his truck and no trip to store.

This is a simple low voltage issue, have see him pull out the big guns and trace down a broken neutral wire and found it in minutes, I do some electrical and have replaced service panels, meter base and mast. I have rewired bathrooms and kitchens for 20 years. I know when it is time to call a professional and ask for help.

How much do you sparkies make an hour???

Quote:

Originally Posted by gregzoll

I have scratches all over my hands from digging into walls yesterday pulling Romex, when I finished my Kitchen outlets up for our ongoing remodel. I am glad that I have small enough hands to get into single gang cutouts, but with having GypRock in my place, I always pay for it for a couple of days later, until the scratches heal.

Lets not forget the insulation itchies. Another fun one is scraping your head on a roofing nail in the attic.

How much do you sparkies make an hour???

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dierte

Lets not forget the insulation itchies. Another fun one is scraping your head on a roofing nail in the attic.

That is why I am glad I can stand up in my attic, with me being 6'4". Do get the coughs real bad from our attic, due to the dust that is up there, from the house being so old, and that Cellulose grabs it like a magnet.

How much do you sparkies make an hour???

oh yeah the insulation itchies....still tying to ignore that.

I'm short and therefore perfect height for working in the attic (or so I'm told) - I end up getting banished there. I think I have the better end of the stick though because I find it easier to work from above (at least while everything is open).